When Can You See the December Full Moon at Its Peak of Brightness?
The December full moon will delight us miserable people with its majestic presence on December 7th. The last full moon of 2022, often referred to as the “Cold Moon” (because it’s usually cold at that time of year), will be at its peak. at 11:09 pm Eastern Standard Time.
As if aware of its “last of the year” status, the December moon is flying high in the sky. Its elevated trajectory means it stays above the horizon longer than most satellites. Show off.
Winter Solstice: The Real New Year
December is also astronomically known as the month with the longest night. Wednesday, December 21 at 4:48 pm EDT is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. That’s when winter begins, the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, and the damned night wanderers lurking among us celebrate the day with the least sunshine of the year.
In the ancient tradition of the Druids (and in other cultures as well), the winter solstice marks the beginning of the new year and is celebrated with feasts, parties, and fun. Unlike our arbitrary “New Year’s Day” on January 1st, the solstice is a cosmic certainty, and its celebration of the death of the “old sun” and the rebirth of the “new” makes much more sense than just picking a random day in January.
Speaking of random, here’s an amazing fact about the moon.
Have you ever heard someone explain an unusual phenomenon by saying, “Today should be a full moon?” This is an expression of an ancient belief that the moon or its light can drive people crazy. This is where we get the word “madness” and many people believe in it today.
But tons of recent research into this phenomenon seems to conclusively prove that crime, psychiatric hospitalizations, and suicides don’t actually increase during a full moon. It still seems strange that so many people from different cultures believe this. But there is a possible explanation for why the moon may once have been indirectly responsible for the madness, but no longer is.
The theory is that prior to the almost universal introduction of electric lighting, the moon had a greater influence on people’s sleep-wake cycle. During the full moon, the night was brighter, leading to sleep disturbances and disturbances that could be “enough to cause mania/hypomania in susceptible patients with bipolar disorder and seizures in patients with seizure disorders.” This is plus the fact that in our time werewolves have practically disappeared.